Method of making separable fasteners



April 20, 1937. N. J. POUX METHOD OF MAKING SEPARABLE FASTENERS Original Filed Jan. 5, 1931 A TTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 20, 1937 UNITED STATES METHOD OF MAKING SEPARABLE FASTENERS Noel J. Poux, Meadville, Pa., assignor, by mes ne assignments, to Hookless Fastener Company,

Meadville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 3, 1931, Serial No. 506,363 Renewed March 10, 1937 18 Claims.

The present invention is directed to the method of making slide fastener members, particularly of the type having attaching jaws, or prongs which are set astride a fastener tape and. secured thereon and which members are provided with interlocking projections and recesses at their free ends. Heretofore the common practice of making such members has been to form the members individually and then secure them on the tape. In the present invention a plurality of members are formed with recesses and projections on opposite sides of each member, the exterior edges of the members fashioned the interior surfaces of the prongs, or jaws; shaped and the members 16 severed. Preferably the severance is between the jaws of one member and an adjacent member and the members are preferably severed as one of the members is united with the tape. In this way the fabrication is simplified, the operations 20 made more certain and refinements in the members may be accomplished. Features and details of the invention will appear from the specification and claims.

A preferred embodiment of the apparatus with 25 which the method may be practiced is illustrated as follows:-

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the fastener. Fig. 1a a side elevation of one of the interlocking members. 30 Fig. 2 a perspective view, parts being broken away, showing the apparatus.

Fig. 32. side elevation of the jaw closing mechanism.

Fig. 4 a modification of the jaw-closing dies. 35 Fig. 5 a bottom view of the punches.

Fig. 6 a plan view of the punch-receiving dies.

Fig. 7 a plan view of the end of the rod prior to the severance of the member and the closing of the jaws.

ii mark the stringers, 2 ribs along the edges of the stringers, and 3 interlocking members secured to the edges of the stringers, these interlocking members having projections 5 and recesses 6 on opposite sides of the-members and 45 these recesses and projections are swung into and out of engagement in the usual manner through the action of a slider 1.

In the making of the fastener the members are made from a rod or strip 8. This rod is intermit- 50 tently fed forward by rolls 9. It traverses the tervening material between the jaws.

Preferably the action of the rolls involves the engagement of the attached members 3. Tension rolls l3 are provided through which the stringer is fed, these rolls being subjected to some resistance so as to properly tension the stringer.

The punches are carried by a head I4 from a plunger l5. This plunger is operated through any ordinary punch press (not shown). A punch I1 is carried by the head 14 and upon the depression of the head indents the rod forming the recess 6. At the opp site side of the rod, a projection 5 is formed, the die In being provided with a recess l8 to receive the projection.

With the next advance of the rod a key-hole shaped slot 20 is formed by a similarly shaped punch IS, the punch extending through the material and forcing the same through an opening l9a in the die, this operation removing the in- With the next advance of the rod punches 2| cut rounded notches in the rod at the rear of the key-hole slots. These notches, using the strip in the form of the rod shown, outline the exterior edges of the fastener members. The rounded notches formed by this action give a rounded end 22 to the members so that they may be more readily operated upon by the slider. The punches 2i operate in die openings 2la. With the next forward movement of the rod the key-hole. shaped openings are advanced to the position opposite the cutter 23. This cutter operates in an interval or dwell between the forward movement of the rod and the descent of the punches. It has a concave cutting surface on one face and preferably a plane cutting surface 23a. on the opposite face. It operates in connection with a die 25 at the opposite side of the rod. The concave cutting surfaceforms a rounded end 24 (see Fig. 1a) and the plane cutting face leaves the free end of the interlocking member square with the projection and recess sides of the member. The cutter 23 operates and severs jaws 26 of the second fastener element from the end in Fig. 7 forming an open slot at their ends and in the same operation severs theend fastener element from the second one from the end in Fig. 7. A spreader 21 spreads these jaws with the next reciprocation of the head, shaping the jaws particularly the inner edges of the jaws, to the form shown in Fig. '7. With the next forward movement of the rod these jaws are advanced into position over the rib 2 on the stringer and simultaneously with, or slightly before, the cutters operate to sever the member, closing dies 28 operate upon the open jaws to close them, pressing them into clamping engagement with the rib.

With each cycle of the operation the feed rolls I2 advance, thus carrying the member which has been clamped in position and severed from the rod to a position above the plane of the rod so as to place the stringer in position to receive the next successive member. In this way the added handling incident to a forming of the members prior to their engagement with the stringer is avoided. V

While the rod 3 so far as described is round in cross section and I have referred to the recess and projection sides of the member as that portion of the member involving the surfaces included circumferentially in .the parts occupied by the recess and projection and extending axially therefrom in Fig. 4 I have shown the rod in square form. This maybe used where it is desired to have interlocking members of this cross section and the dies 28 under these conditions will fashion the jaw end of the members as desired. As indicated in Fig. 4 it would give the jaw end of the clamps a round cross'section and the free end of the member may retain a shape having parallel plane sides for the recess and projection.

It will be noted that while the rod is still integral the recesses and projections of the members are formed for a plurality ofwmembers and the intervening material is removed forming the jaws, or prongs for a plurality of members and after completely forming this plurality of members one member is severed from another. Thus in the rod as shown recesses for three distinct membersare formed and the exterior edges of these members are also formed. Jaw slots for three distinct members are formed while the parts are integral, and the exterior surfaces of the jaws, or the exterior edges on a plurality of the members are formed by cutters 2| prior to the severance of one of those members from another and the interior surface of the jaws is shaped by the spreader while the two last members are still united and the jaws are severed one from the other with the severance of one member from another. This aifords a simpler manner of fabricating the members, maintaining them in proper relation and permits, if desired, a greater range of finishing of the members than with practices heretofore used. It also simplifies the transfer,

or assembly to the tape and while in the present exemplification and preferably the jaws are moved to a position astride the tape, in the broader phases of the invention it is only necessary that there should be relative movement of the jaws and tape to bring the tape within the jaws.

By forming the strip with a plurality of interlocking members formed, or partially'formed, and with a major portion of the side edges of the members unobstructedly exposed it is possible to finish these edges and portions of the members with greater facility. As shown, this adaptability is utilized in the convenient arrangement of the cutting tools 23. By reason of this unobstructed edge the cutting tools may be made with the concave cutting surfacs 23a. giving to the jaw end of the members an eased or rounded shape.

The connection between the members is also within the sides of the members and this facilitates the advance of the members with relation to the punches, and the integral connection gives a greater strength tothe strip in handling and presenting it to the fabricating tools.

What I claim as new is:

l. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists informing interlocking member jaws on the end of a rod by removing intervening material; feeding the rod and advancing the member jaws while integral with the rod to move the jaws to a position to straddle the edge of a fastener stringer; closing the jaws; and severing the member from the rod.

2. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming interlocking member recesses and projections along side faces of a rod and also jaws on the end of the rod by removing intervening material; feeding the rod. and advancing the member jaws while integral with the rod to move the jaws to a position to straddle the edge of a. fastener stringer; closing the jaws; and severing the member from the rod.

3. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming interlocking member recesses and projections along side faces of a rod and also jaws on the end of the rod by removing intervening material and with a rib-receiving recess within the jaws; feeding the rod and advancing the member jaws while integral with the rod to move the jaws to a position to straddle the edge of a. fastener stringer; closing the jaws; and severing the member from the r 4. The method of forming separable fasteners which consistsin forming successively interlocking member jaws on the end of a rod by removing intervening material; feeding the rod and advancing the member jaws while integral with the rod to move the jaws to a position to straddle the end of a fastener stringer; closing the jaws;

severing the member from the rod; and advancing the stringer transversely to the direction of movement of the rod to place the members thereon.

5. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming interlocking member jaws at the end of a rod; spreading the jaws; feeding the rod and advancing the member jaws while integral with the rod to move the jaws to a position to straddle the edge of a fastener stringer; closing the jaws; and severing the member from the rod.

6. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming interlocking recesses and projections along side faces of a rod and also jaws on the end of the rod; and severing the member thus formed from the rod.

7. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming interlocking recesses and projections along side faces of a rod and also jaws on the end of the rod; spreading the jaws; and severing the member thus formed from the rod.

8. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming interlocking recesses and projections along side faces of a rod and also jaws on the end of the rod by removing the intervening material; and severing the member thus formed from the rod.

9. The method for the production of metal elements for sliding clasp fasteners from strips, which consists in cutting in a metal strip of a width equal substantially to one of the plane dimensions of the finished element, limb forming slits disposed intermediate the edges of the strip and lengthwise thereof, said slits being spaced apart a distance sufficient to provide a single slit in each element portion of the strip and with the slits opening through an edge of the finished element, and alternately spreading the element portions at' opposite sides of the slits to provide cloth engaging limbs and severing said element portions from the strips.

10. The method for the production of metal elements for sliding clasp fasteners from strips, which consists in cutting in a metal strip of a width equal to one of the plane dimensions of the finished element spaced apart limb forming slits extending lengthwise of the strip and intermediate the lateral edges of the same, said slits disposed in each element portion of the strip with one end of the slit opening through an edge portion of the finished element, and alternately spreading thelimbs of each element portion and severing the portion from the strip whereby to free the limbs of succeeding element portions.

11. The method forthe production of metal elements for sliding fasteners from strips, which consists in cutting in a metal strip of a width equal to one of the plane dimensions of the finished element, limb forming slits spaced apart a distance to provide a limb in each successive element to be cut from the strip, spreading the free limb of the end element for receiving a cloth strip or the like, and severing the end element from the strip.

12. The method for the production of metal elements for sliding fasteners from strips, which consists in cutting in a metal strip of a width equal to one of the plane dimensions of the finished element, limb forming slits spaced apart a distance to provide a limb in each successive element to be cut from the strip, spreading the limbs of the elements, and severing the elements from the strip.

13. The method of producing sliding fastener elements from a metal strip, which consists in cutting slits at spaced intervals in a metal strip of awidth equal to one of the plane dimensions of the finished element, spreading apart the limbs of 'the elements at opposite sides of the slits, and severing the strip at spaced lengths to provide elements each having a slit therein opening through an edge thereof.

14. The method of producing sliding fastener elements from a metal strip, which consists in cutting slits in a metal strip of a width equal to one of the plane dimensions of a finished element with the slits spaced apart a distance to provide a slit in each element when severed from the strip and with the slits disposed to open through one edge of their respective elements when severed from the strip, opening the slits of the successive end elements to spread the limbs of the elements apart at the end of the strip, and severing the elements successively from the strip.

15. The method of producing sliding fastener elements from a metal strip, which consists in cutting in a metal strip of a width of the finished fastener elements, spaced apart lengthwise extending slits one for each element of the strip and with the slit in the end element opening through the end of the strip, opening the end slit of the end element by spreading the element parts at opposite sides of the slit for the reception of a piece of cloth, closing said slit by bending said element parts back toward initial position to clamp the element to the cloth, and then transversely cutting the strip with the cut intersecting the outer end of the next adjacent slit to sever the cloth attached element from the strip and free the end of the next adjacent slit.

16. The method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming. a plurality of interlocking member recesses and projections and also jaws on ablank with the members connected end to end and with the connections between the members within the outer walls of the members; advancing the jaws of an end member astraddle the edge of a fastening stringer; c1osing the jaws; and separating the member from the succeeding member.

17. The 'method of forming separable fasteners which consists in forming on a long strip of material an interlocking member with recesses and projections and also jaws, placing said jaws 

